Staying fit and social

I was born in 1946 and grew up in the Riverina. My main ongoing sports were tennis and golf (which I was quite good at). I excelled in running and swimming. At Sydney Uni I was a dedicated bushwalker — every weekend and holiday.
I worked in Cooma for 14 years and took up cross-country skiing and represented Australia on several occasions.
In 1983 I moved to Sydney and concentrated on distance running and was probably in the top 10 distance runners in NSW for a number of years.
I joined Sydney Frontrunners in 1985 and have been in the club ever since. It was quite small in the early years and I was still racing competitively in state and national events. I also joined Team Sydney when it was first formed, served on the board for many years and still remain a member.
Over the last 10 or so years I have morphed into a triathlete.
My early involvement with SFR was to try and provide an alternative to the then almost exclusive bar culture. Few if any gay sporting people were out in those days. Gays weren’t seen as being into sport. This image has obviously changed to some extent.
My greatest sporting memory is probably being the flag-bearer for Australia at the Opening Ceremony of the World Ski Championships in Sweden in 1974 (they were then far bigger and more prestigious than the Winter Olympics), closely followed by winning the Age Group World Championship in the Sprint Distance Triathlon in Vancouver in 2008.
My involvement in sport has always been for enjoyment and as part of leading a healthy life. I lack a really competitive instinct. I have believed since the age of seven that most Western people are too sedentary because of the type of work they do and that you have to take on some form of exercise.
I am in a relationship. My partner body surfs and does weight work at the gym.
I didn’t come out until I was in my 30s and joined Frontrunners.
If I had to switch to another sport, I would like to go back to cross-country skiing. It is far gentler on the body but gives far better cardio-vascular fitness than any other sport. It can be done socially or solo and the scenery is usually spectacular.
SFR has an interesting mix of people. It provides an enjoyable way of being sociable.
People must to want to take on some kind of physical activity for it to really work for them. Running or walking is one of the best ways to do this. It is relatively inexpensive and can be done in a great range of climatic conditions.